U.S. patent application number 14/726298 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-01 for providing shipping services to shippers.
The applicant listed for this patent is KOLOBIT, LLC. Invention is credited to Kyle R. HUNT, Darren L. WESEMANN.
Application Number | 20160350712 14/726298 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57398703 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160350712 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WESEMANN; Darren L. ; et
al. |
December 1, 2016 |
PROVIDING SHIPPING SERVICES TO SHIPPERS
Abstract
A method for providing shipping services to shippers, by which
packages associated with the shippers are shipped by a shipping
carrier, the method being performed by a system associated with a
shipping intermediary, may include establishing a communication
interface with the shipping carrier. The method may include
receiving a shipping intermediary identifier from the shipping
carrier. The method may include in response to a request from a
first shipper for the shipping services, transmitting to the first
shipper information allowing the first shipper to obtain a first
shipping label associated with the shipping intermediary
identifier. The method may include in response to a request from a
second shipper for the shipping services, transmitting to the
second shipper information allowing the second shipper to obtain a
second shipping label associated with the shipping intermediary
identifier.
Inventors: |
WESEMANN; Darren L.; (North
Salt Lake, UT) ; HUNT; Kyle R.; (Riverton,
UT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KOLOBIT, LLC |
North Salt Lake |
UT |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57398703 |
Appl. No.: |
14/726298 |
Filed: |
May 29, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/0833 20130101;
G06Q 10/0834 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08 |
Claims
1. A method for providing shipping services to shippers, by which
packages associated with the shippers are shipped by a shipping
carrier, the method being performed by a system associated with a
shipping intermediary, the method comprising: providing software to
interface with a shipping program through which the shipping
services are available, wherein the software satisfies
specifications of the shipping program for producing manifests and
barcodes; executing the software to establish a communication
interface with the shipping carrier; receiving a shipping
intermediary identifier from the shipping carrier, the shipping
intermediary identifier being used by the shipping carrier to
provide the shipping services for packages that bear the shipping
intermediary identifier, the shipping intermediary identifier being
associated by the shipping carrier with the shipping intermediary
and identifying the shipping intermediary to the shipping carrier
as an entity that satisfies requirements imposed by the shipping
carrier to qualify for the shipping services; in response to a
request from a first shipper for the shipping services:
transmitting to the shipping program a request on behalf of the
first shipper for a first shipping label; receiving the first
shipping label from the shipping program; and sending the first
shipping label to the first shipper, wherein the first shipping
label is associated with and includes the shipping intermediary
identifier; and in response to a request from a second shipper for
the shipping services: transmitting to the shipping program a
request on behalf of the second shipper for a second shipping
label. receiving the second shipping label from the shipping
program; and sending the second shipping label to the second
shipper, wherein the second shipping label is associated with and
includes the shipping intermediary identifier such that, when the
first shipper and the second shipper use the shipping services, the
shipping carrier does not distinguish the identities of the first
shipper and the second shipper, wherein the first and second
shipping labels in an electronic form are printed and the printed
first and second shipping labels are respectively applied to a
first package to be shipped by the first shipper and a second
package to be shipped by the second shipper, the shipping carrier
providing the shipping services for the first and second packages
that bear the shipping intermediary identifier in each of the
printed first and second shipping labels, and wherein the shipping
services provided by the shipping carrier are available to the
first and second shippers through aggregation of the first and
second shippers by the shipping intermediary, the first and second
shippers individually failing to satisfy the requirements imposed
by the shipping carrier to qualify for the shipping services.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shipping program permits
shippers that individually satisfy requirements imposed by the
shipping carrier to qualify for the shipping services to establish
said communication interface and to obtain shipping labels directly
from the shipping carrier.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the shipping program comprises a
manifest system in which shippers document and pay postage by
transmitting electronic manifest files to the manifest system.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein: each of the first shipper and
the second shipper individually has less than a threshold volume of
periodic shipping activities below which the first shipper and the
second shipper is each unable to obtain shipping labels from the
shipping program without the shipping intermediary; and the method
further comprises enabling the first shipper to obtain the first
shipping label and enabling the second shipper to obtain the second
shipping label from the shipping program through the shipping
intermediary.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: assigning a first
account number to the first shipper; and assigning a second account
number to the second shipper, wherein the first account number and
the second account number are used by the shipping intermediary to
track shipping activity of the first shipper and the second
shipper, respectively, but are not provided to the shipping
carrier.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising maintaining a database
of shipping activity of the first shipper and the second
shipper.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the system associated with the
shipping intermediary comprises remote interfaces used by the first
shipper and the second shipper to communicate with the shipping
intermediary.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to a
request from a third shipper for the shipping services,
transmitting to the third shipper information allowing the third
shipper to obtain a third shipping label associated with the
shipping intermediary identifier; and assigning the third shipper a
customer identifier that allows the shipping carrier to identify
the third shipper when the third shipper uses the shipping
services.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein: the shipping program permits
shippers to establish said communication interface and to obtain
shipping labels directly from the shipping carrier only if the
shippers have more than a threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities; the first shipper and the second shipper have less than
the threshold volume of periodic shipping activities; and the third
shipper has at least the threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media including
computer-executable instructions executable by a processor of a
system associated with a shipping intermediary to perform or
control performance of operations for providing shipping services
to shippers, by which packages associated with the shippers are
shipper by a shipping carrier, the operations comprising: providing
software to interface with a shipping program through which the
shipping services are available, wherein the software satisfies
specifications of the shipping program for producing manifests and
barcodes; executing the software to establish a communication
interface with the shipping carrier; receiving a shipping
intermediary identifier from the shipping carrier, the shipping
intermediary identifier being used by the shipping carrier to
provide the shipping services for packages that bear the shipping
intermediary identifier, the shipping intermediary identifier being
associated by the shipping carrier with the shipping intermediary
and identifying the shipping intermediary to the shipping carrier
as an entity that satisfies requirements imposed by the shipping
carrier to qualify for the shipping services; in response to a
request from a first shipper for the shipping services:
transmitting to the shipping program a request on behalf of the
first shipper for a first shipping label receiving the first
shipping label from the shipping program; and sending the first
shipping label to the first shipper, wherein the first shipping
label is associated with and includes the shipping intermediary
identifier; and in response to a request from a second shipper for
the shipping services: transmitting to the shipping program a
request on behalf of the second shipper for a second shipping
label; receiving the second shipping label from the shipping
program; and sending the second shipping label to the second
shipper, wherein the second shipping label is associated with and
includes the shipping intermediary identifier such that, when the
first shipper and the second shipper use the shipping services, the
shipping carrier does not distinguish the identities of the first
shipper and the second shipper, wherein the first and second
shipping labels in an electronic form are printed and the printed
first and second shipping labels are respectively applied to a
first package to be shipped by the first shipper and a second
package to be shipped by the second shipper, the shipping carrier
providing the shipping services for the first and second packages
that bear the shipping intermediary identifier in each of the
printed first and second shipping labels, and wherein the shipping
services provided by the shipping carrier are available to the
first and second shippers through aggregation of the first and
second shippers by the shipping intermediary, the first and second
shippers individually failing to satisfy the requirements imposed
by the shipping carrier to qualify for the shipping services.
11. The computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the
shipping program permits shippers that individually satisfy
requirements imposed by the shipping carrier to qualify for the
shipping services to establish said communication interface and to
obtain shipping labels directly from the shipping carrier.
12. The computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein: each
of the first shipper and the second shipper individually has less
than a threshold volume of periodic shipping activities below which
the first shipper and the second shipper is each unable to obtain
shipping labels from the shipping program without the shipping
intermediary; and the operations further comprise enabling the
first shipper to obtain the first shipping label and enabling the
second shipper to obtain the second shipping label from the
shipping program through the shipping intermediary.
13. The computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the
operations further comprise: assigning a first account number to
the first shipper; and assigning a second account number to the
second shipper, wherein the first account number and the second
account number are used by the shipping intermediary to track
shipping activity of the first shipper and the second shipper,
respectively, but are not provided to the shipping carrier.
14. The computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the
operations further comprise: in response to a request from a third
shipper for the shipping services, transmitting to the third
shipper information allowing the third shipper to obtain a third
shipping label associated with the shipping intermediary
identifier; and assigning the third shipper a customer identifier
that allows the shipping carrier to identify the third shipper when
the third shipper uses the shipping services.
15. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein: the
shipping program permits shippers to establish said communication
interface and to obtain shipping labels directly from the shipping
carrier only if the shippers have more than a threshold volume of
periodic shipping activities; the first shipper and the second
shipper have less than the threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities; and the third shipper has at least the threshold volume
of periodic shipping activities.
16. A system for providing shipping services to shippers, by which
packages associated with the shippers are shipped by a shipping
carrier, the system being associated with a shipping intermediary
and comprising a processor configured to: provide software to
interface with a shipping program through which the shipping
services are available, wherein the software satisfies
specifications of the shipping program for producing manifests and
barcodes; execute the software to establish a communication
interface with the shipping carrier; receive a shipping
intermediary identifier from the shipping carrier, the shipping
intermediary identifier being used by the shipping carrier to
provide the shipping services for packages that bear the shipping
intermediary identifier, the shipping intermediary identifier being
associated by the shipping carrier with the shipping intermediary
and identifying the shipping intermediary to the shipping carrier
as an entity that satisfies requirements imposed by the shipping
carrier to qualify for the shipping services; in response to a
request from a first shipper for the shipping services: transmit to
the shipping program a request on behalf of the first shipper for a
first shipping label; receive the first shipping label from the
shipping program; and send the first shipping label to the first
shipper, wherein the first shipping label is associated with and
includes the shipping intermediary identifier; and in response to a
request from a second shipper for the shipping services: transmit
to the shipping program a request on behalf of the second shipper
for a second shipping label; l receive the second shipping label
from the shipping program; and send the second shipping label to
the second shipper, wherein the second shipping label is associated
with and includes the shipping intermediary identifier such that,
when the first shipper and the second shipper use the shipping
services, the shipping carrier does not distinguish the identities
of the first shipper and the second shipper, wherein the first and
second shipping labels in an electronic form are printed and the
printed first and second shipping labels are respectively applied
to a first package to be shipped by the first shipper and a second
package to be shipped by the second shipper, the shipping carrier
providing the shipping services for the first and second packages
that bear the shipping intermediary identifier in each of the
printed first and second shipping labels, and wherein the shipping
services provided by the shipping carrier are available to the
first and second shippers through aggregation of the first and
second shippers by the shipping intermediary, the first and second
shippers individually failing to satisfy the requirements imposed
by the shipping carrier to qualify for the shipping services.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the shipping program permits
shippers that individually satisfy requirements imposed by the
shipping carrier to qualify for the shipping services to establish
said communication interface and to obtain shipping labels directly
from the shipping carrier, wherein the shipping program comprises a
manifest system in which shippers document and pay postage by
transmitting electronic manifest files to the manifest system.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein: each of the first shipper and
the second shipper individually has less than a threshold volume of
periodic shipping activities below which the first shipper and the
second shipper is each unable to obtain shipping labels from the
shipping program without the shipping intermediary; and wherein the
processor is further configured to enable the first shipper to
obtain the first shipping label and enable the second shipper to
obtain the second shipping label from the shipping program through
the shipping intermediary.
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further
configured to: in response to a request from a third shipper for
the shipping services, transmit to the third shipper information
allowing the third shipper to obtain a third shipping label
associated with the shipping intermediary identifier; and assign
the third shipper a customer identifier that allows the shipping
carrier to identify the third shipper when the third shipper uses
the shipping services.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein: the shipping program permits
shippers to establish said communication interface and to obtain
shipping labels directly from the shipping carrier only if the
shippers have more than a threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities; the first shipper and the second shipper have less than
the threshold volume of periodic shipping activities; and the third
shipper has at least the threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The implementations discussed in the present disclosure are
related to providing shipping services to shippers.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Individuals, organizations, and business entities may
utilize one or more shipping carriers to ship packages on a regular
basis. The shipping carriers may include, for example, the United
Parcel Service (UPSTM), FedEx.RTM., the United States Postal Server
(USPS), DHL Express, or various other shipping carriers. Each of
the shipping carriers may provide one or more shipping programs,
which may be designed to provide one or more shipping services to
shippers.
[0003] The subject matter claimed in the present disclosure is not
limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages or that
operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather,
this background is only provided to illustrate one example
technology area where some implementations described may be
practiced. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the materials
described in the background section are not prior art to the claims
in the present application and are not admitted to be prior art by
inclusion in this section.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to an aspect of an implementation, a method for
providing shipping services to shippers, by which packages
associated with the shippers are shipped by a shipping carrier, the
method being performed by a system associated with a shipping
intermediary, may include establishing a communication interface
with the shipping carrier. The method may also include receiving a
shipping intermediary identifier from the shipping carrier, the
shipping intermediary identifier being used by the shipping carrier
to provide the shipping services for packages that bear the
shipping intermediary identifier. The method may further include in
response to a request from a first shipper for the shipping
services, transmitting to the first shipper information allowing
the first shipper to obtain a first shipping label associated with
the shipping intermediary identifier. Additionally, the method may
include in response to a request from a second shipper for the
shipping services, transmitting to the second shipper information
allowing the second shipper to obtain a second shipping label
associated with the shipping intermediary identifier, such that,
when the first shipper and the second shipper use the shipping
services, the shipping carrier does not distinguish the identities
of the first shipper and the second shipper.
[0005] The object and advantages of the implementations will be
realized and achieved at least by the elements, features, and
combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
[0006] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are given as
examples and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention,
as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Example implementations will be described and explained with
additional specificity and detail through the use of the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment related
to providing shipping services to shippers;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example computing system
that may be included in the environment of FIG. 1; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method to provide
shipping services to shippers.
DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATIONS
[0011] Historically, postage stamps have been applied to packages
as a representation to the USPS that a required fee for delivering
a package has been paid. An improvement to utilization of physical
postage stamps is the application of indicia of postage with a
postage meter, which may be physical or virtual. The USPS now
authorizes a shipper to use PC Postage.TM., which may allow the
shipper to purchase postage via an online postage vendor, such as,
for example, Endicia.TM. or Stamps.com.TM., and apply the indicia
of postage to a package to be shipped. Using PC Postage, a shipping
label that includes the indicia of postage may be printed on a
standard printer coupled to, for example, the shipper's personal
computer.
[0012] In recent years, the USPS has also implemented the
Electronic Verification System (eVS.RTM.) of the United States
Postal Service (USPS), which is designed for high-volume shippers
to conduct their business with the USPS using electronic
technology. For example, eVS may include a manifesting system that
allows shippers to document and pay postage by transmitting
electronic manifest files to eVS. Using eVS, high-volume shippers
may prepare package shipments, submit electronic documentation, and
streamline their internal business processes and interactions with
the USPS.
[0013] In the present disclosure, the term "shipper" may refer to
any entity that ships packages from one location to another using a
carrier. For example, a shipper may include one or more of the
following: individuals, organizations, government entities, and
businesses. Embodiments are also described herein in the context of
shipping "packages." As used herein, the term "packages," unless
otherwise specified, extends to substantially any item that can be
shipped by a shipping carrier, including boxes, bulk goods,
letters, envelopes, etc. Packages are not limited to any sort of
size, containers, contents, etc. The term "shipping label," unless
otherwise specified, extends to any physical article or printed
material that includes the information described herein for
enabling a shipping carrier to accept a package for shipping
services. The shipping label may include a number, text, a barcode
or other information that achieves this purpose. Unless otherwise
specified, the physical details of the shipping label are not
critical, and the embodiments described herein can be adapted for
us with shipping services that might use any type of shipping
label.
[0014] In some instances, the shipper may engage in a number of
actions in order to receive one or more shipping services provided
by a shipping carrier system through a shipping program, which may
include a program or group of programs designed for an end user,
such as, for example, the shipper. As used herein, the term
"shipping program" extends to shipping services that are offered by
a shipping carrier, along with corresponding schedules of shipping
rates, systems for tracking shipped goods, systems for receiving
payment and providing shipping labels, pickup and delivery
services, and related communication systems (e.g., Internet and
e-commerce systems). Embodiments are described herein primarily on
the context of eVS, which is an example of a shipping program that
is suitable for use with such embodiments. The principles described
herein, however, can be adapted for use with other shipping
programs, including those that are offered by the USPS or other
shipping carriers, and further including shipping programs that
might be offered in the future.
[0015] Shippers have conventionally used the shipping program eVS,
by registering for eVS participation. Registration may include
creating a user account, establishing an eVS profile, and entering
various types of information, such as a corporate site address,
banking information, etc. The shipper may also apply for a permit
imprint account, which may be linked to a Centralized Account
Processing System (CAPS) debit account for automatic withdrawal of
funds each time a postage statement is generated by eVS.
Additionally, the shipper may obtain a master Mailer Identification
(MID) number. The master MID number may identify the shipper in
eVS. Additional MIDs may be obtained by the shipper if, for
example, the shipper has multiple shipping sites. The shipper may
also pay various annual fees to the USPS to use eVS. Further, the
shipper may submit an eVS manifest application, which may solicit
information for determining a projected level of postal resources
that may be used to help the shipper meet eVS requirements for
manifesting.
[0016] In order to receive the shipping services provided through
eVS, another hurdle the shipper may face includes developing or
obtaining software to interface with eVS. For example, the shipper
may develop or obtain the software that meets eVS electronic file
and barcode specifications for producing accurate eVS manifests and
barcodes. Developing the software or obtaining the software from a
vendor may be expensive and may be followed by testing. For
example, the software may be evaluated by the USPS to determine if
the software is compliant with eVS, which may be time-consuming.
Shippers attempting to use a non-USPS shipping carrier system
and/or a shipping program other than eVS may encounter similar
obstacles.
[0017] In some instances, the shipping program may not be designed
for use by both low-volume and high-volume shippers. The low-volume
shippers may include shippers who ship, for example, less than a
threshold volume, such as, for example, one hundred (100) packages
per week. The high-volume shippers may include shippers who ship
more than the threshold volume, such as, for example, more than one
hundred (100) packages per week. An example of a high-volume
shipper may include Amazon, which may ship thousands of packages
per day. The low-volume shippers in particular may be discouraged
from using eVS because they may be small and may have limited
resources or expertise, which may discourage the low-volume
shippers from developing or obtaining the software that meets eVS
specifications and engaging in what may be a lengthy eVS
application process. Currently, in at least some instances, the
low-volume shippers may not be permitted to participate in eVS due
to various requirements related to eVS which may make it difficult
for the low-volume shippers to use eVS. For example, establishing a
communication interface with the shipping carrier system and
obtaining shipping labels directly from the shipping carrier system
may be difficult using eVS if the particular shipper has more than
a threshold volume of periodic shipping activities. The threshold
volume of periodic shipping activities may correspond to a
threshold number of packages and/or a weight of packages shipped by
the shipper during a duration of time.
[0018] Some implementations described in the present disclosure may
be used to provide shipping services to shippers. The shipping
services may be configured to facilitate shipment by a shipping
carrier of one or more packages associated with the shippers. The
shipping services may be provided by a shipping carrier system
through a shipping program that permits the shippers to establish a
communication interface and to obtain shipping labels directly from
the shipping carrier system only if the shippers have more than a
threshold volume of periodic shipping activities.
[0019] In these and other implementations, the shippers may include
one or more low-volume and/or one or more high-volume shippers. In
these and other implementations, a shipping intermediary system,
which may be operated by or associated with a shipping
intermediary, may provide the shipping services to the low-volume
shippers and/or the high-volume shippers by establishing a
communication interface with the shipping carrier system. In these
and other implementations, the shipping intermediary system may
establish the communication interface with the shipper carrier so
that the shippers may use the shipping program without obtaining or
developing new software. For example, the shipping intermediary
system may include a processor or processors, which may be executed
in the cloud and may establish the communication interface by
implementing an application program interface (API) provided by the
shipping program, such as, for example, the USPS eVS Label API, via
a network. A shipper device may include a shipper module which may
execute in a browser and may be communicatively coupled to the
label module via the network. Implementation of the API of the
shipping program by the shipping intermediary system may allow the
shipping intermediary system to act as an intermediary between the
shippers and the shipping program and provide the shipping services
to the shippers through the shipping program. The shipping
intermediary system may coordinate one or more payments of the
shippers to the shipping carrier system, send shipping labels
configured to be printed from the shipping carrier system to the
shippers, and interact with the shipping carrier system on behalf
of the shippers. By signing up for the shipping services provided
by the shipping intermediary system, the shippers may obtain, via
the shipping intermediary system, the shipping services associated
with the shipping program, which may not otherwise be available to
the shippers.
[0020] In some implementations, the shipping intermediary system
may also provide the shipping services to the shippers by receiving
a shipping intermediary identifier from the shipping carrier
system, the shipping intermediary identifier being used by the
shipping carrier to provide the shipping services for packages that
bear the shipping intermediary identifier. The shipping
intermediary identifier may be associated with the shipping
intermediary by the shipping carrier system. In these and other
implementations, in response to a request from a first shipper for
the shipping services, the shipping intermediary system may
transmit to the first shipper information allowing the first
shipper to obtain a first shipping label associated with the
shipping intermediary identifier. Further, in these and other
implementations, in response to a request from a second shipper for
the shipping services, the shipping intermediary system may
transmit to the second shipper information allowing the second
shipper to obtain a second shipping label associated with the
shipping intermediary identifier, such that, when the first shipper
and the second shipper use the shipping services, the shipping
carrier system does not distinguish identities of the first shipper
and the second shipper. However, a database of shipping activity of
the first shipper and the second shipper may be maintained by the
shipping intermediary system, and the database may be configured to
facilitate tracking of the first shipper and the second shipper by
the shipping intermediary system via one or more account numbers,
which may be assigned to the first shipper and the second shipper
and stored within the database. The first shipper and the second
shipper may have less than a threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities, and thus, without the shipping intermediary system, may
not be permitted by the shipping program to establish the
communication interface and to obtain shipping labels directly from
the shipping carrier. In these and other implementations, the
shipping intermediary system may be configured to enable the first
shipper and the second shipper to obtain the first shipping label
and the second shipping label, respectively, which may be generated
by the shipping program.
[0021] Further, in these and other implementations, in response to
a request from a third shipper for the shipping services, the
shipping intermediary system may transmit to the third shipper
information allowing the third shipper to obtain a third shipping
label associated with the shipping intermediary identifier and may
assign the third shipper a customer identifier that allows the
shipping carrier to identify the third shipper when the third
shipper uses the shipping services. In these and other
implementations, the customer identifier may be unique to the third
shipper and may be assigned only to the third shipper. The third
shipper may have at least the threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities. Thus, in some implementations described in the present
disclosure, the shipping intermediary system may provide the
shipping services to both the low-volume shippers and the
high-volume shippers.
[0022] Implementations of the present invention will be explained
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100
related to facilitating use of a shipping program 102 by a shipper,
arranged in accordance with at least one implementation described
in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the environment
100 may include a shipping carrier system 104, a shipping
intermediary system 106, a shipper device 116, a printer device
108, and a network 110. In the environment 100, the shipping
carrier system 104 may include the shipping program 102. Also, in
the environment 100, the shipping intermediary system 106 may
include a label module 112. Further, in the environment 100, the
shipper device 116 may include a shipper module 114. The shipping
program 102, the label module 112, and the shipper module 114 may
be configured to communicate and/or to exchange, via the network
110, information and data that may be used in one or more
operations described in the present disclosure. The environment 100
may include other servers or devices not illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0024] In some implementations, the network 110 may include a wired
or wireless network, and may include any suitable configuration,
such as a star configuration, a token ring configuration, or other
configurations. Furthermore, in some implementations, the network
110 may include an Ethernet network, a local area network (LAN), a
wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), and/or other
interconnected data paths across which multiple devices may
communicate. In some implementations, the network 110 may include a
peer-to-peer network. In some implementations, the network 110 may
also be communicatively coupled to or include portions of a
telecommunications network that may enable communication of data in
a variety of different communication protocols.
[0025] In some implementations, the network 110 may include
BLUETOOTH.RTM. communication networks and/or cellular
communications networks for sending and receiving data including
via short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service
(MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), direct data connection,
wireless application protocol (WAP), e-mail, etc. The network 110
may enable communication via a standard-based protocol such as
smart energy profile (SEP), Echonet Lite, OpenADR, or another
suitable protocol (e.g., wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), ZigBee,
HomePlug Green, etc.).
[0026] The shipping intermediary system 106 may include a hardware
device such as a rack-mounted server, a blade server, or other
hardware device that includes a processor, a memory, and network
communication capabilities. In some implementations, the shipping
intermediary system 106 may be communicatively coupled to the
network 110. In some implementations, the label module 112 may send
and receive data to and from the shipping carrier system 104 and/or
the shipping program 102 via the network 110. For example, the
label module 112 may be configured to send information about the
shipping intermediary and/or the shipper to the shipping carrier
system 104 and/or the shipping program 102 via the network 110 in
order to apply for and obtain an account with the shipping carrier
system 104 and/or the shipping program 102. As another example, the
label module 112 may be configured to send information, via the
network 110, to the shipping carrier system and/or the shipping
program 102 relating to registration for the shipping program 102,
establishment of a postage payment account held by the shipping
intermediary, and/or request of a shipping intermediary identifier,
such as, for example, a master MID and/or a MID. The shipping
intermediary identifier may be used by the shipping carrier system
to provide the shipping services for packages that bear the
shipping intermediary identifier. As a further example, the label
module 112 may also be configured to request one or more shipping
labels from the shipping carrier system and/or the shipping program
102 via the network 110. As yet another example, the label module
112 may be configured to provide to the shipping carrier system
and/or the shipping program 102, via the network 110, one or more
payments, using the postage payment account, for one or more
postage amounts associated with the shipping labels. As still
another example, the label module 112 may be further configured to
receive the shipping intermediary identifier from the shipping
carrier system. As a further example, the label module 112 may be
configured to receive the shipping labels from the shipping carrier
system 104 and/or the shipping program 102 via the network 110.
Additionally, the label module 112 may be configured to receive,
via the network 110, a notification or indication from the shipping
carrier system 104 and/or the shipping program 102 that a
particular payment or a group of payments provided by the label
module 112 correspond to an underpayment.
[0027] The shipper device 116 may include a hardware device such as
a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a
smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or other hardware
device that includes a processor, a memory, and network
communication capabilities. In some implementations, the shipper
device 116 may be communicatively coupled to the network 110. In
some implementations, the shipper module 114 may be configured to
send and receive data to and from the label module 112 via the
network 110. For example, the shipper module 114 may be configured
to send to the label module 112, via the network 110, the shipper's
volume of periodic shipping activities, which may correspond to an
approximate number of packages and/or a weight of packages shipped
by the shipper during a duration of time. The shipper's volume of
periodic shipping activities may be input by the shipper using the
shipper device 116. As another example, the shipper module 114 may
be configured to send to the label module 112, via the network 110,
information about the shipper that may aid the label module 112 in
generation of a shipping label, such as, for example, a mailing
site address to which a package will be shipped. As a further
example, the shipper module 114 may be configured to send to the
label module 112, via the network 110, information about the
shipper that may aid the label module 112 in obtaining an account
or a mailer identification from the shipping carrier system 104
and/or the shipping program 102. As yet another example, the
shipper module 114 may also be configured to send to the label
module 112, via the network 110, information related to the
shipper's payment account, which the label module 112 may charge in
response to a request from the shipper for one or more shipping
labels. In some implementations, the shipper module 114 may be
configured to receive the shipping labels from the label module
112. In these and other implementations, the label module 112 may
be configured to transmit to the shipper information configured to
facilitate obtaining of the shipping labels by the shipper. For
example, the information may include one or more questions related
to mailing site address, a return address, and/or a postage amount.
The label module 112 may receive one or more responses to the
information from the shipper and may request a particular shipping
label from the shipping carrier system based on information from
the responses.
[0028] In some implementations, the printer device 108 may include
a standard printer. The printer device 108 may be coupled to the
shipper module 114. Additionally or alternatively, the printer
device 108 may be communicatively coupled to the label module 112
and/or the shipper module 114 via the network 110. The printer
device 108 may receive the shipping labels configured to be printed
from the shipping intermediary system 106 or the shipper module 114
and may print the shipping labels. The shipper may apply the
shipping labels to the shipper's packages.
[0029] The shipping carrier system 104 may include a hardware
device such as a rack-mounted server, a blade server, or other
hardware device that includes a processor, a memory, and network
communication capabilities. In some implementations, the shipping
carrier system 104, which may include, for example, a shipping
carrier system of the USPS, may be communicatively coupled to the
network 110. In some implementations, the shipping program 102 may
include eVS or another application of the USPS or of another
shipping carrier. In some implementations, the shipping program 102
may be configured to send and receive data to and from the label
module 112 via the network 110. For example, the shipping program
102 may be configured to generate and send the shipping labels to
the label module 112. In these and other implementations, the
shipping program 102 may be configured to generate the shipping
labels in a final form ready for printing. The shipping label in
the final form ready for printing may include all information for
shipment. For example, the shipping label in the final form may
include one or more of the following: the mailing site address, a
return address, postage, and Delivery Confirmation or Express Mail
barcodes (in case of the USPS shipping carrier system). As another
example, the shipping program 102 may be configured to send one or
more shipping intermediary identifiers and/or customer identifiers
to the shipping intermediary system 106. In some implementations,
the shipping intermediary system 106 may store a cache of the
shipping intermediary identifiers and/or the customer identifiers
at the shipping intermediary system 106 and may retrieve a
particular one of the mailer identifications from the cache in
response to receiving a request for a particular shipping label
from the shipper.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates an example computing system 200 that may
include a label module 202, arranged in accordance with at least
one implementation described in the present disclosure. The label
module 202 may include or correspond to the label module 112 of
FIG. 1. The computing system 200 may include or correspond to the
shipping intermediary system 106 of FIG. 1. The computing system
200 may include a processor 204, a memory 206, and a communication
module 210.
[0031] More generally, the computing system 200 may include any
suitable system, apparatus, or device configured to provide the
shipping services to shippers. In some implementations, the
computing system 200 may provide one or more payments on behalf of
the shipper to the shipping carrier system and/or send shipping
labels to the shipper. The processor 204 may be communicatively
coupled to the memory 206. In some implementations, the label
module 202 may be embodied in logic or instructions resident in the
memory 206 for execution by the processor 204. Additionally or
alternatively, the memory may store shipper data in a database of
shipping activity 212. The database of shipping activity 212 may be
used to associate one or more particular shipping labels with a
particular shipper. Specifically, the database of shipping activity
212 may be configured to facilitate determination by the label
module 202 that a particular shipping label is associated with the
particular shipper. In some implementations, the database of
shipping activity 212 may be configured to facilitate determination
by the label module 202 of which barcode, account number, customer
identifier, and/or other identifier the label module 202 has
assigned to the particular shipper. For example, the shipper data
may include a name of the particular shipper and a particular
barcode, a particular account number, a particular customer
identifier, and/or a particular other identifier associated with a
particular shipping label intended for a package of the particular
shipper. The name of the particular shipper may be associated with
the particular barcode, the particular account number, the
particular customer identifier, and/or the particular other
identifier in the database of shipping activity. Further, the
database of shipping activity 212 may include the shipping activity
of the particular shipper. In some these and other implementations,
in response to the particular shipper having less than a threshold
volume of periodic shipping activities, the shipping activity of
the particular shipper may be tracked using the particular account
number assigned to the particular shipper. In response to the
particular shipper having more than the threshold volume of
periodic shipping activities, the shipping activity of the
particular shipper may be tracked using, for example, a customer
identifier assigned to the particular. The shipping activity of the
particular shipper, which may be stored in the database of shipping
activity 212, may include information obtained from tracking the
particular shipper, such as, for example, a location of a package
of the particular shipper and/or a time of arrival of the package
at a destination or mailing site address to which the package is
intended to be shipped.
[0032] The processor 204 may include any suitable special-purpose
or general-purpose computer, computing entity, or processing device
including various computer hardware or software modules and may be
configured to execute instructions stored on any applicable
computer-readable storage media to perform or control performance
of one or more of the operations described herein. For example, the
processor 204 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a
digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or any
other digital or analog circuitry configured to interpret and/or to
execute program instructions and/or to process data. Although
illustrated as a single processor in FIG. 2, it is understood that
the processor 204 may include any number of processors configured
to perform individually or collectively any number of operations
described herein. Additionally, one or more of the processors may
be present on one or more different electronic devices, servers, or
systems. In some implementations, the processor 204 may interpret
and/or execute program instructions and/or process data stored in
the memory 206.
[0033] The memory 206 may include computer-readable storage media
for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data
structures stored thereon. Such computer-readable storage media may
be any available media that may be accessed by a general-purpose or
special-purpose computer, such as the processor 204. By way of
example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media
may include tangible or non-transitory computer-readable storage
media including Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM),
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM),
Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk
storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,
flash memory devices (e.g., solid state memory devices), or any
other storage medium which may be used to carry or store desired
program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or
data structures and which may be accessed by a general-purpose or
special-purpose computer. Combinations of the above may also be
included within the scope of computer-readable storage media.
Computer-executable instructions may include, for example,
instructions and data configured to cause the processor 204 to
perform or control performance of a certain function (or operation)
or group of functions (or operations).
[0034] The label module 202 may include instructions and data
configured to cause the processor 204 to perform or control
performance of one or more operations described in the present
disclosure. For example, the label module 202 may include
instructions and data configured to cause the processor 204 to
provide the shipping services to shippers and/or coordinate one or
more payments of the shipper to the shipping carrier system.
Accordingly, in some implementations, the computing system 200 may
incorporate the label module 202 in the memory 206 as illustrated
in FIG. 2.
[0035] The communication module 210 may include software including
routines for handling communications between the label module 202
and other components of the computing system 200. Additionally or
alternatively, the communication module 210 may be configured to
send and receive data to and from one or more other entities via a
network. In these and other implementations, the communication
module 210 may include hardware such as a cellular transceiver, a
WiFi (or more generally, an IEEE 802.11) interface, a Bluetooth
wireless interface, a USB interface, a hardwired LAN interface, or
other suitable hardware to access the network. In some
implementations, the network may include or correspond to the
network 110 of FIG. 1. In these or other implementations, the
communication module 210 may be configured to retrieve data from
the memory 206 and to send the data to the label module 202. For
example, the communication module 210 may receive shipper data
and/or data related to shipping activity from the shipper and store
the data in the database of shipping activity 212 in the memory
206.
[0036] One or more operations described in the present disclosure
that may be performed by the processor 204 by executing program
instructions included in the label module 202 may be performed by a
mobile application or a thin-client application on a shipper
device. In some implementations, the shipper device may include or
correspond to the shipper device 116 of FIG. 1. In some
implementations, the shipping intermediary system may include a
remote interface that may be used by the shipper or shipper device
to communicate with the shipping intermediary system. In these and
other implementations, the label module 202 of FIG. 2 may provide
and support the remote interface to the shipper on the shipper
device via a browser. In these and other implementations, the
shipper device may perform one or more of the operations described
in the present disclosure by interfacing with the browser. Further,
in some implementations, the processor 204 may perform one or more
of the operations described in the present disclosure by
interfacing with the API of the shipping program.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method 300 to provide
shipping services to shippers, by which packages associated with
the shippers are shipped by a shipping carrier, arranged in
accordance with at least one implementation described in the
present disclosure. One or more operations associated with the
method 300 may be implemented, in some implementations, by the
shipping intermediary system 106 of FIG. 1 and/or the computing
system 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the processor 204 of FIG. 2 may
be configured to perform one or more of the operations associated
with the method 300 by executing program instructions of the label
module 202. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks
may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks,
or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation.
[0038] The method 300 may begin at block 302, where a communication
interface with the shipping carrier system may be established. The
shipping carrier system may include or correspond to the shipping
carrier system 104 of FIG. 1. In some implementations, the
communication interface may be established by implementing an
application program interface (API) provided by the shipping
program, such as, for example, the USPS eVS Label API, via a
network. A shipper device may include a shipper module which may
execute in a browser and may be communicatively coupled to the
label module via the network. Block 302 may be followed by block
304.
[0039] At block 304, a shipping intermediary identifier may be
received from the shipping carrier system. The shipping
intermediary identifier may be used by the shipping carrier system
to provide shipping services for packages that bear the shipping
intermediary identifier. In these and other implementations, the
shipping services may be provided by the shipping carrier system
through the shipping program. The shipping program may permit
shippers to establish said communication interface and to obtain
shipping labels directly from the shipping carrier system only if
the shippers have more than a threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities. The shipping intermediary identifier may be associated
by the shipping carrier system with the shipping intermediary. In
these and other implementations, the shipping intermediary
identifier may include an eVS master Mailer Identification number,
which may be registered to the shipping intermediary. In some
implementations, a barcode printed on a shipping label for a
package of the first shipper may include the shipping intermediary
identifier. In these and other implementations, the shipping
intermediary identifier may be configured to facilitate
identification of the shipping intermediary by the shipping carrier
system. Block 304 may be followed by block 306.
[0040] At block 306, in response to a request from a first shipper
for the shipping services, information allowing the first shipper
to obtain a first shipping label associated with the shipping
intermediary identifier may be transmitted to the first shipper. In
these and other implementations, the first shipper may have less
than the threshold volume of periodic shipping activities. In these
and other implementations, the request from the first shipper may
be received via a network. The network may include or correspond to
the network 110 of FIG. 1. In these and other implementations, the
request from the first shipper may be generated by the shipper
module 114 of FIG. 1 in response to input of the request from the
first shipper by the first shipper. In these and other
implementations, the request from the first shipper may be sent to
and received by the label module 112 of FIG. 1. Block 306 may be
followed by block 308.
[0041] At block 308, in response to a request from a second shipper
for shipping services, information allowing the second shipper to
obtain a second shipping label associated with the shipping
intermediary identifier may be transmitted to the second shipper.
In these and other implementations, the second shipper may have
less than the threshold volume of periodic shipping activities. In
these and other implementations, the request from the second
shipper may be received via the network. In these and other
implementations, the request from the second shipper may be sent to
and received by the label module 112 of FIG. 1. In these and other
implementations, the request from the second shipper may be
generated by the shipper module 114 of FIG. 1 in response to input
of the request from the second shipper by the second shipper. In
some implementations, each of the first and second shippers may
have access to different shipper devices 116 that have different
shipper modules 114 (or different instances of the shipper module
114) such that the request from the first shipper may be generated
by the shipper module 114 on a first shipper device 116 associated
with the first shipper and the request from the second shipper may
be generated by the shipper module 114 on a second shipper device
116 associated with the second shipper.
[0042] In these and other implementations, the method 300 may
enable the first shipper to obtain the first shipping label and the
second shipper to obtain the second shipping label from the
shipping program through the shipping intermediary system. For
example, the shipping program may be configured to generate the
first and second shipping labels and send the shipping labels to
the shipping intermediary system. The first and second shippers may
then obtain the first and second shipping labels, respectively,
from the shipping intermediary system. In these and other
implementations, the shipping program may generate the first and
second shipping labels in a final form ready for printing and
intended for placement on packages of the first and second
shippers, respectively.
[0043] The method 300 may be performed such that, when the first
shipper and the second shipper use the shipping services, the
shipping carrier system does not distinguish identities of the
first shipper and the second shipper. In these and other
implementations, the shipping intermediary identifier may be
configured to facilitate identification of the shipping
intermediary by the shipping carrier system, but the identity of
the first and second shippers may be masked to the shipping carrier
system. In these and other implementations, the shipping carrier
system may associate the first and second shipping labels with the
shipping intermediary and not the first and second shippers,
respectively. In these and other implementations, the shipping
carrier system may identify the shipping intermediary from the
first and second shipping labels and not the first and second
shippers, respectively. In these and other implementations, the
shipping carrier system may determine the identity of the first and
second shippers by contacting the shipping intermediary. In some
implementations, communications from the USPS, which may include
communications regarding the first shipping label and/or a postage
payment associated with the first shipping label, may be addressed
to the shipping intermediary. Similarly, communications regarding
the second shipping label and/or a postage payment associated with
the second shipping label may be addressed to the shipping
intermediary. In some implementations, the first and second
shipping labels may lack customer identifiers, which may be
explained later in additional detail.
[0044] In some implementations, the method 300 may include in
response to a request from a third shipper for the shipping
services, transmitting to the third shipper information allowing
the third shipper to obtain a third shipping label associated with
the shipping intermediary identifier. Thus, in these and other
implementations, the first, second, and third shippers may obtain
the first, second, and third shipping labels, respectively, that
are each associated with the same shipping intermediary identifier,
which may allow the shipping carrier system to identify the
shipping intermediary. The third shipper may have at least the
threshold volume of periodic shipping activities. In some
implementations, the third shipping label may not be associated
with the shipping intermediary identifier and the shipping carrier
system may communicate with the third shipper directly via a
customer identifier.
[0045] In these and other implementations, the method 300 may
include assigning the third shipper the customer identifier that
allows the shipping carrier system to identify the third shipper
when the third shipper uses the shipping services. The customer
identifier may be associated with the third shipper by the shipping
carrier system. For example, the customer identifier may include an
eVS master MID, an eVS MID, or another customer identifier that
identifies the third shipper to the shipping carrier system. In
these and other implementations, the eVS master MID and/or eVS MID
may be registered to the third shipper. In some implementations, a
barcode printed on a shipping label for a package of the third
shipper may include the customer identifier. In these and other
implementations, the customer identifier may be configured to
facilitate identification of the third shipper by the shipping
carrier system. In these and other implementations, the shipping
carrier system may associate the third shipping label with the
third shipper. In these and other implementations, the shipping
carrier system may determine the identity of the third shipper
using the customer identifier.
[0046] In some implementations, the method 300 may include
determining one or more of the following: a first volume of
periodic shipping activities of the first shipper, a second volume
of periodic shipping activities of the second shipper, and a third
volume of periodic shipping activities of the third shipper. In
some implementations, a particular volume of periodic shipping
activities may be determined by the shipping intermediary system.
The particular volume of periodic shipping activities may be
determined based on input of the particular volume of periodic
shipping by a particular shipper at the particular shipper's
shipper device.
[0047] In these and other implementations, the method 300 may
include assigning the first shipper and/or the second shipper to a
first group based on the first volume of periodic shipping
activities and the second volume of periodic shipping activities,
respectively. In some implementations, the first volume of periodic
shipping activities and/or the second volume of periodic shipping
activities may be less than the third volume of periodic shipping
activities. Alternatively or additionally, any shipper that has a
volume of periodic shipping activities less than the threshold
volume of periodic shipping activities may be assigned to the first
group, where the first volume of periodic shipping activities
and/or the second volume of periodic shipping activities in this
example may be less than the threshold volume of periodic shipping
activities.
[0048] In these and other implementations, the third shipper may be
assigned to a second group based on the third volume of periodic
shipping activities. The third volume of periodic shipping
activities may be less than the second volume of periodic shipping
activities. In these and other implementations, the first group may
include one or more shippers in addition to the first shipper
and/or the second shipper that ship low volumes of packages
compared to the third shipper and one or more other shippers in the
second group. The third shipper and the other shippers in the
second group may ship high volumes of packages compared to the
first shipper, the second shipper, and/or the shippers in the first
group. In some implementations, the first group may include
low-volume shippers, and the second group may include high-volume
shippers. Alternatively or additionally, each shipper assigned to
the second group may be assigned a shipper-specific customer
identifier, each of which may be individually registered to a
corresponding one of the shippers in the second group. The method
300 may further include in response to assignment of the third
shipper to the second group, sending the third shipping label to
the third shipper. The third shipping label may be associated by
the shipping carrier system with the shipping intermediary and/or
the third shipper.
[0049] In these and other implementations, in response to
assignment of the first shipper to the first group, the first
shipping label may be sent to the first shipper. The first shipping
label may be associated with a shipping intermediary identifier
associated by a shipping carrier system with the shipping
intermediary. Alternatively or additionally, the shipping
intermediary identifier associated by the shipping carrier system
with the shipping intermediary may effectively be shared among
multiple low-volume shippers. Thus, in some implementations, the
multiple low-volume shippers may each be sent a particular shipping
label that is associated with a single shipping intermediary
identifier associated by the shipping carrier system with the
shipping intermediary.
[0050] In some implementations, the method 300 may also include
providing a first payment for a first postage amount associated
with the first shipping label and a second payment for a second
postage amount associated with the second shipping label to the
shipping carrier system from one or more shipping carrier system
accounts held by the shipping intermediary. The method may also
include providing a third payment for a third postage amount
associated with the third shipping label from the one or more
shipping carrier system accounts held by the shipping intermediary.
For example, the shipping carrier system accounts may include an
eVS account. For example, the shipping carrier system accounts may
include a USPS PostalOne! postage payment account or a Centralized
Account Processing System (CAPS) account. The shipping intermediary
may thus coordinate payments of the first shipper, the second
shipper, and/or the third shipper to the shipping carrier system
using the shipping carrier system accounts and without use of a
postage meter. In some implementations, the shipping carrier system
accounts may include a payment account from which funds may be
transferred to the shipping carrier system. In these and other
implementations, the method 300 may include providing one or more
of the following from a single shipping carrier system account held
by the shipping intermediary: the first payment for the first
postage amount associated with the first shipping label, the second
payment for the second postage amount associated with the second
shipping label, and the third payment for a third postage amount
associated with the third shipping label.
[0051] In some implementations, the method 300 may also include
receiving one or more of the following generated by the shipping
carrier system and configured to be printed: the first shipping
label, the second shipping label, and the third shipping label. In
these and other implementations, the method 300 may include one or
more of the following: sending the first shipping label to the
first shipper, sending the second shipping label to the second
shipper, and sending the third shipping label to the third shipper.
The first, second, and third shippers may obtain the first, second,
and third shipping labels, respectively, in response to the labels
being sent.
[0052] In some implementations, the method 300 may also include
assigning a first account number to the first shipper and assigning
a second account number to the second shipper. The first account
number and the second account number may be used by the shipping
intermediary system to track shipping activity of the first shipper
and the second shipper, respectively, but may not be provided to
the shipping carrier. In these and other implementations, the
method 300 may also include assigning a third account number to the
third shipper, which may be used by the shipping intermediary
system to track shipping activity of the third shipper and may not
be provided to the shipping carrier.
[0053] In some implementations, the method 300 may also include
maintaining a database of shipping activity of the first shipper
and the second shipper. The method 300 may include associating the
first shipping label with the first shipper in the database and
associating the second shipping label with the second shipper in
the database. In these and other implementations, the database may
be configured to facilitate tracking of the first shipper and the
second shipper by the shipping intermediary via the first account
number and the second account number assigned to the first and
second shippers, respectively. For example, the first account
number and the second account number may be recorded and stored in
the database as corresponding to the first and second shippers,
respectively, and one or more shipping activities may be associated
with the first and second account numbers in the database.
[0054] In these and other implementations, in response to receipt
of an indication from the shipping carrier system that a payment by
the server of a first postage amount associated with the first
shipping label corresponds to an underpayment, the method 300 may
include determining using the database that the first shipper is
associated with the first shipping label and the underpayment and
charging the first shipper an amount corresponding to the
underpayment. The second and third shippers may not be charged for
an amount corresponding to the underpayment.
[0055] Shipping activity of the third shipper may be stored in the
database of shipping activity in a similar manner as the shipping
activity of the first shipper and the shipping activity of the
second shipper.
[0056] In some implementations, the shipping intermediary system
may include remote interfaces used by the first and second shippers
to communicate with the intermediary. For example, a first remote
interface and a second remote interface may be used by the first
shipper device and the second shipper device, respectively, to
communicate with the shipping intermediary system. The remote
interfaces may be provided to the first and second shippers on
their respective shipper devices via a browser.
[0057] In some implementations, the method 300 may include
submitting an electronic manifest for the third shipper in response
to assignment of the third shipper to the second group. The
electronic manifest may be submitted to the shipping program. In
some implementations, the shipping program may be configured to
facilitate monitoring of receipt of the electronic manifest by the
third shipper and/or to facilitate analyzing, by the third shipper,
of results of package sampling performed by the shipping carrier.
In some implementations, the electronic manifest may include the
customer identifier and/or the shipping intermediary identifier.
The electronic manifest may also include a detailed summary of one
or more packages shipped at one time by the third shipper,
including postage amounts paid by the shipping intermediary for
each of the shipping labels associated with the packages. In some
implementations, one or more electronic manifests may be submitted
for shippers in the second group. In these and other
implementations, the electronic manifests may not be submitted for
shippers in the first group.
[0058] For this and other processes and methods disclosed herein,
the functions performed in the processes and methods may be
implemented in differing order. Furthermore, the outlined steps and
operations are only provided as examples, and some of the steps and
operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps and
operations, or expanded into additional steps and operations
without detracting from the essence of the disclosed
implementations.
[0059] While some of the systems and methods described herein are
generally described as being implemented in software (stored on
and/or executed by general purpose hardware), specific hardware
implementations or a combination of software and specific hardware
implementations are also possible and contemplated.
[0060] Terms used herein and in the appended claims (e.g., bodies
of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms
(e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including,
but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as
"having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as
"includes, but is not limited to," etc.).
[0061] Additionally, if a specific number of an introduced claim
recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited
in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent
is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following
appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at
least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations.
However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply
that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite
articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such
introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one
such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory
phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles
such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to
mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the
use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.
[0062] In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced
claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art
will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean
at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two
recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two
recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those
instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B,
and C, etc." or "one or more of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in
general such a construction is intended to include A alone, B
alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, or A, B, and C together, etc. For example, the use of the
term "and/or" is intended to be construed in this manner.
[0063] Further, any disjunctive word or phrase presenting two or
more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or
drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of
including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For
example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the
possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
[0064] All examples and conditional language recited herein are
intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding
the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to
furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without
limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.
Although implementations of the present disclosure have been
described in detail, it should be understood that the various
changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
disclosure.
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